The Nigerian Government has commenced the payment of arrears for civil servants’ 40% salary rise. According to Punch, some federal civil servants confirmed on Saturday that they had started receiving bank alerts of the arrears. The arrears were received alongside the April 2023 salary.

In an interview with Punch, a high-ranking civil servant in the Kwara State capital of Ilorin, who preferred anonymity, disclosed the receipt of the arrears. It was not clear if the payment was made to all civil servants or a selected group.

The salary rise was approved by President Muhammadu Buhari in March 2023. The increment, which came after years of agitation by civil servants, was expected to boost workers’ morale and stimulate productivity. The government’s decision to pay the arrears would bring relief to workers who had anxiously been waiting for the salary rise to take effect.

“I received my own arrears today. Some of our other colleagues have also confirmed receipt of their arrears. It came in alongside our April salary.”

Another civil servant who confirmed the development via a chat with our correspondent in Ibadan said, “Yes, it is true. Though I am a teacher with a Federal Government school, I can confirm to you that I received my April 2023 salary alongside my arrears.”

President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration proposed a 40% pay rise for workers in order to cushion the effects of the planned removal of fuel subsidy. The spokesperson for the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Productivity, Olajide Oshundun, confirmed this to The PUNCH. Oshundun stated that the pay rise would be applicable to all workers from level 1 to 17.

In March, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, had announced that the Federal Government had approved a pay raise for civil servants in Nigeria. He further mentioned that the pay rise had been included in the 2023 budget and would be implemented from January 1, 2023.

Ngige described the pay raise as a special allowance for civil servants, taking into account the current economic reality of rising inflation, increasing cost of living, transportation fare, housing, and electricity tariffs. The aim of the pay rise is to help government workers mitigate the effects of these economic challenges.